Valve today announces the official launch of its line of Steam Hardware devices in the US, Canada, UK, and Europe. A leading platform for PC, Mac, and Linux games, Steam offers more than 6,000 titles to millions of gamers around the world. The Steam Controller, Steam Link, and Steam Machines are a collection of hardware devices designed to expand the Steam gaming experience into any room in the home.

Earlier this fall, Valve announced dedicated Steam Sections in most GameStop, GAME UK, and EB Games stores. The sections will feature the Steam Hardware devicesas well as a variety of Steam prepaid cards. In addition, Steam Machines will be available from their respective PC manufacturers, and the Steam Controller and Link are available via Amazon and directly from Steam.

Qualcomm, which holds a ton of ARM SoC patents, and put them to good use with its Snapdragon line of SoCs for smartphones, tablets, and convertible notebooks, is foraying into enterprise computing market. The company is ready with its first prototype of a 24-core high-performance CPU based on the 64-bit ARM machine architecture. ARM-based processors are picking up momentum in the server and micro-server markets owning to their low cost, low cooling requirements, and high energy-efficiency; and Qualcomm wants a slice of that pie. Most enterprise Linux and FreeBSD distributors have versions of their server operating systems for the 64-bit ARM architecture, as do most popular server software providers.

The prototype 24-core CPU is socketed, and ships in a large land-grid array (LGA) package, much like Intel's Xeon chips. The first production chips will have a lot more than 24 CPU cores, said Qualcomm senior vice president Anand Chandrasekhar. As a proof of concept, Qualcomm assembled three server blades using these chips, which were running Linux with a KVM hypervisor, streaming HD video to a PC using a LAMP stack (Linux + Apache + MySQL + PHP) built with OpenStack. Qualcomm's target consumers are big Internet companies like Google and Facebook, which purchase hundreds of thousands of CPUs each year to cope with growing user- and content-traffic.

NVIDIA today launched NVIDIA GRID 2.0 with broad industry support for its ability to deliver even the most graphics-intensive applications to any connected device virtually. Nearly a dozen Fortune 500 companies are completing trials of the NVIDIA GRID 2.0 beta. Major server vendors, including Cisco, Dell, HP and Lenovo, have qualified the GRID solution to run on 125 server models, including new blade servers. NVIDIA has worked closely with Citrix and VMware to bring a rich graphics experience to end-users on the industry's leading virtualization platforms.

NVIDIA GRID 2.0 delivers unprecedented performance, efficiency and flexibility improvements for virtualized graphics in enterprise workflows. Employees can work from almost anywhere without delays in downloading files, increasing their productivity. IT departments can equip workers with instant access to powerful applications, improving resource allocation. And data can be stored more securely by residing in a central server rather than individual systems.

The Intel Compute Stick, a new pocket-sized computer based on a quad-core Intel Atom processor running Windows 8.1 with Bing, is available now through Intel Authorized Dealers for much of the world.

The Intel Compute Stick can transform any HDMI display into an entry computer capable of working with productivity apps, playing local or streamed content, driving basic digital signage or enabling thin clients. It will support Wireless 802.11 b/g/n, a microSD card for expandable memory, MicroUSB power supply and Bluetooth 4.0 for keyboard and mouse.

After Epic's Unreal Engine 4 and Unity 5 game engines went "free,"with their source-codes put up by their makes for anyone to inspect freely, NVIDIA decided to join the bandwagon of showering game developers with technical empowerment, by putting up the entire source-code of PhysX 3.3.3, including its cloth and destruction physics code, on GitHub. The move to put up free-code of PhysX appears to be linked to the liberation of Unreal Engine 4 code.

NVIDIA PhysX is the principal physics component of Unreal-driven game titles for several years now. There's a catch, though. NVIDIA is only freeing CPU-based implementation of PhysX, and not its GPU-accelerated one, which leverages NVIDIA's proprietary CUDA GPU compute technology. There should still be plenty for game devs and students in the field, to chew on. In another interesting development, the PhysX SDK has been expanded from its traditionally Windows roots to cover more platforms, namely OS X, Linux, and Android. Find instructions on how to get your hands on the code, at the source link.

Valve announces a number of product and technologies at this week's Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco. "We continue to see very strong growth in PC Gaming, with Steam growing 50% in the last 12 months," said Gabe Newell, Valve's president. "With these announcements we hope that we are helping build on that momentum."

Steam Machines, Windows PCs, Macs, and Linux PCs will be able to take advantage of a new product announced at GDC called Steam Link. Designed to extend your Steam experience to any room in the house, Steam Link allows you to stream all your Steam content from any PC or Steam Machine on the same home network. Supporting 1080p at 60Hz with low latency, Steam Link will be available this November for $49.99, and available with a Steam Controller for an additional $49.99 in the US (worldwide pricing to be released closer to launch).

AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) today announced revenue for the fourth quarter of 2014 of $1.24 billion, operating loss of $330 million and net loss of $364 million, or $0.47 per share. Non-GAAP(1) operating income was $36 million, non-GAAP(1) net income of $2 million and breakeven non-GAAP(1) earnings per share.

"We made progress diversifying our business, ramping design wins and improving our balance sheet this past year despite challenges in our PC business," said Dr. Lisa Su, AMD president and CEO. "Annual Enterprise, Embedded and Semi-Custom segment revenue increased over 50% as customer demand for products powered by our high-performance compute and rich visualization solutions was strong. We continue to address channel headwinds in the Computing and Graphics segment and are taking steps to return it to a healthy trajectory beginning in the second quarter of 2015."

In order to combat recent bash vulnerability issues, Thecus today released a Bash patch for both Thecus OS5 and OS6 users. It is strongly recommended that all users update their NAS with this latest firmware. The patch will fix the GNU Bash Environment Variable Command Injection Vulnerability, also referred to as Shellshock (CVE-2014-6271, CVE-2014-7169, CVE-2014-7187, and CVE-2014-71861), which allows unauthorized users access to remote Unix/Linux-based systems.

Streacom rolled out the FLIRC-SE, an adaptive IR receiver module for its HTPC cases, that can, besides working like a conventional Media Center IR receiver, wake your PC up from S4 (STR) and S5 shut-down power states. The module is originally designed and manufactured by FLIRC, for Streacom. It comes with drivers for Windows, Linux, and OS X. The module plugs into the motherboard over USB 2.0 header, and features a native memory, to store up to 160 key combinations. It's available now.

Corsair, a world leader in high-performance PC hardware, today announced the ultra compact, low-profile Flash Voyager Vega USB 3.0 flash drive. The slim, thumb-sized drive is less than 5mm thin and 24mm long including the built-in key ring loop, making it a perfect keychain companion for data transfers on the go, or an ideal plug-and-leave storage solution for notebooks, car audio systems, game consoles, and other devices. The new drive is available immediately in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB capacities from Corsair.com and retailers around the world.

Protected in a gleaming scratch-resistant hard chrome plated zinc alloy enclosure, the Flash Voyager Vega drive is as eye-catching as it is rugged. Thanks to high-speed USB 3.0 support, file transfers complete in a fraction of the time of previous generation flash drives, with a discrete blue LED showing when data transfers are active. The drive also supports USB 2.0 for compatibility with older PCs, and Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux are all supported with no additional software required.

QNAP, Inc., a global network attached storage (NAS) manufacturer, is now shipping new 16GB models of the TS-x70 Pro Series Turbo NAS which is designed specifically in support of QNAP's new Virtualization Station, a centralized virtualization environment that allows users to run and manage multiple virtual machines directly on the NAS without the need for additional hardware/software. QNAP is the first and only NAS vendor to offer this capability. The entire QNAP Turbo NAS lineup features "hardened" data security architecture that makes QNAP a leading choice of US defense contractors and enterprise datacenters.

SanDisk Corporation, a global leader in flash memory storage solutions, today announced that SanDisk DAS Cache software will be offered by Dell for use in its next generation Dell PowerEdge servers with direct-attached storage (DAS). This all-software solution will allow customers to benefit from the high performance of solid state drives (SSDs), while maintaining data on direct-attached, disk-based storage. SanDisk DAS Cache software works with SSDs from any manufacturer, empowering customers to select the SSD capacity and performance that is appropriate to their data center needs.

"We have been working very closely with Dell to provide a complete solution for their customers that provides the performance and cost benefits of solid-state storage technology," said John Scaramuzzo, senior vice president and general manager, Enterprise Storage Solutions, SanDisk. "Combining innovations in both hardware and software enables customers to realize the full potential of enterprise storage solutions. We are excited that Dell is able to offer the benefits of our SanDisk DAS Cache software to customers with its new PowerEdge servers."

QNAP Systems, Inc. today announced the availability of Virtualization Station: an industry-leading integrated virtualization operating platform that empowers the Turbo NAS to host multiple virtual machines (VMs). With a simple & centralized management interface, it is easy for anyone to create and run multiple VMs on a single Turbo NAS.

Virtualization technology allows users to create isolated VMs on a single server and install different operating systems and applications. Each VM can be viewed as an independent PC that consumes dedicated CPU, memory, disk space and network resources without interrupting each other. Users can flexibly install Windows, UNIX, Linux, or even server-grade operating systems to centralize various services, applications and server management. Virtualization Station is a powerful and hands-on NAS-based virtualization platform that centralizes virtualization management to enhance IT efficiency.

After raising over $300,000 during a hugely successful crowd-funding campaign on Indiegogo earlier this year, the team behind the Tango PC has taken to Kickstarter to raise additional funds to support retailing their PC you can fit in your pocket. Not only is the Tango PC ultraportable, it is a formidable office as well as entertainment machine with mid-core gaming performance on traditional Windows.

The Tango Kickstarter Campaign got fully funded just a day ago, and with only a day or so more to go, the consumers still can back their campaign in return of not just the Tango PC, but also a free additional PC whenever their worldwide sales reaches a 100k units milestone. What really stands out is that the Tango PC is slim and weighs below 7 ounces, fitting what amounts to a full range of desktop components in a package about the size of an iPhone 5s. The specifications include an AMD A6-5200 2 GHz quad-core processor, DDR3 RAM (from 2-8GB), SSD hard drive (from 32GB-1TB or higher), 3x USB 2.0 ports, 1x USB 3.0 port, 1x HDMI port, headphone jack and internal Wi-Fi.

AMD today announced a multi-year agreement with Mentor Graphics Corporation to expand availability of open-source embedded Linux development for heterogeneous and multi-core processors from AMD. Dedicated to providing embedded developers with a more manageable and focused open source framework, the agreement will provide embedded developers with more supported processor options, robust development tools, and greater speed in open platform development.

As a Yocto Project compatible product, Mentor Embedded Linux will now bring standardized features and tools, and ensure quick access to the latest Board Support Packages (BSPs) for AMD 64-bit x86 architecture beginning with the upcoming AMD Embedded G-Series system-on-a-chip (SoC) (codenamed: "Steppe Eagle") and AMD Embedded R-Series APU/CPU (codenamed: "Bald Eagle").

Eurocom is now shipping the Monster, high performance, upgradeable, small and lightweight notebook preloaded with Linux Operating System. Customer can choose between Windows 8, Windows 7 and Linux based operating systems such as, but not limited to Ubuntu, Mint, Debian and Fedora.

At Eurocom, the customer has a great deal of choice when ordering their new laptop or notebook. Users can choose between a variety of processors, storage drives, memory, displays, keyboards and even operating systems for their little Monster.

Linux fans could soon cross the biggest checkbox on their lists, which reads "can it run Crysis?" Game developer Crytek is poised to reveal a variant of CryEngine 3 with native support for Linux, at GDC 2014, slated for next week. The move should pave the way for Linux (catalyzed by Steam OS) ports of games such as Crysis 3 and Nexuiz. It remains to be seen how its publisher EA handles the development.

While Nexuiz developer IllFonic won't have problems distributing their game over Steam, perhaps even with SteamPlay support, Crytek has to deal with EA. Crysis 3 is distributed over EA's Origin platform, and the publisher has no concrete plans for an Origin client for Linux. So what's the big hurry in porting CryEngine 3 to Linux? Perhaps Crytek's other, non-gaming clients hold the answer. CryEngine 3 powers "serious games," military combat simulators, civil aviation simulators, etc. Of these, the military would want to run simulators on open-source operating systems (so it could scrutinize the code). It could hence help Crytek to have a Linux version of CryEngine 3.

Lenovo and IBM have entered into a definitive agreement in which Lenovo plans to acquire IBM's x86 server business. This includes System x, BladeCenter and Flex System blade servers and switches, x86-based Flex integrated systems, NeXtScale and iDataPlex servers and associated software, blade networking and maintenance operations. The purchase price is approximately US$2.3 billion, approximately two billion of which will be paid in cash and the balance in Lenovo stock.

IBM will retain its System z mainframes, Power Systems, Storage Systems, Power-based Flex servers, and PureApplication and PureData appliances. The agreement builds upon a longstanding collaboration that began in 2005 when Lenovo acquired IBM's PC business, which included the ThinkPad line of PCs. In the period since the companies have continued to collaborate in many areas. IBM will continue to develop and evolve its Windows and Linux software portfolio for the x86 platform. IBM is a leading developer of software products for x86 servers with thousands of products and tens of thousands of software developer and services professionals who build software for x86 systems.

HighPoint Technologies, a pioneering force in the storage industry for the past 18 years, is launching a series of innovative Linux Driver package for its popular 6Gb/s SATA and AS value RAID HBA Series. For well over a decade, HighPoint has actively supported Linux distributions, continuously seeking to develop new and better solutions for Linux-based storage applications. We have long understood how the complications associated with Software RAID controllers while performing kernel upgrades have pushed customers towards high-price Hardware RAID controllers.

We are proud to introduce our innovative Auto-Compiling driver packages for 6Gb/s SATA and SAS RAID HBA's. Seamless integration and simplified kernel upgrade procedures are now no longer exclusive to high-cost Hardware RAID solutions. Customers will never again have to trade ease of integration for cost-effective RAID storage. HighPoint's Auto-Compiling Linux driver packages are available for Enterprise Linux distributions, and are designed to streamline installation and upgrade procedures; delivering an experience on par with pre-compiled, or embedded device drivers.

Valve, creators of best-selling game franchises (such as Counter-Strike, Dota 2, Half-Life, Left 4 Dead, Portal, and Team Fortress) and leading technologies (such as Steam and Source), today announced over one dozen Steam Machine designs now in production from leading manufacturers and targeted for release in 2014. The lineup of Steam Machines announced today offers a wide variety of price and performance options made possible by the Steam Machine's open design, with systems starting as low as $499 and top end systems rivaling today's bleeding edge gaming PCs.

Every Steam Machine includes an innovative Steam Controller designed for use with a wide variety of game genres, and is powered by the SteamOS, a custom OS built atop Linux. "The first generation Steam Machines offers something for every gamer, which is a critical part of extending Steam into the living room," said Gabe Newell of Valve. "With over 3,000 games and more than 65 million gamers on Steam, it's important to offer gamers a variety of Steam Machines that allow them to select what makes the most sense for them."

NVIDIA's new Tegra K1 mobile processor will help self-driving cars advance from the realm of research into the mass market with its automotive-grade version of the same GPU that powers the world's 10 most energy-efficient supercomputers. The first mobile processor to bring advanced computational capabilities to the car, the NVIDIA Tegra K1 runs a variety of auto applications that had previously not been possible with such low power consumption.

Tegra K1 features a quad-core CPU and a 192-core GPU using the NVIDIA Kepler architecture, the basis for NVIDIA's range of powerful GPUs -- including the processors that are used in the top 10 systems featured in the latest Green500 list of the world's most energy-efficient supercomputers. Tegra K1 will drive camera-based, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) -- such as pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning and street sign recognition -- and can also monitor driver alertness via a dashboard-mounted camera.

AMD is inching toward a possible post-x86 future for itself, beginning with its enterprise product stack. In a blog-post, the company outlined a landmark product bearing its enterprise Opteron branding, codenamed "Seattle," which will be designed for scalar data-centers. Based on the 64-bit ARMv8 architecture by ARM, the chip will feature either four or eight cores based on AMD's own implementation of ARMv8, and a high-bandwidth integrated memory controller with support for up to 128 GB of system memory with ECC.

Since ARM-based processors are traditionally part of heavily integrated systems on chips (SoCs), "Seattle" will be an SoC, and among other things, will integrate a 10 Gb/s Ethernet controller, with support for AMD's FreedomFabric technology. Linux kernel 3.7 and above will come with ARMv8 architecture support, and Microsoft is already developing a Windows kernel with ARMv8 support that will be implemented on both its client (Windows RT, Windows Phone) product lines, and a future version of Windows Server. That said, AMD won't give up on x86. As the only active x86 licensee apart from VIA, AMD will continue to make APUs with 64-bit x86 cores for as far as the eye can see (in other words 2015). Future of its client CPU (non-APU) lineup based on the AM3+ socket, however, appears bleak.

Themis Computer today announced the Intel Core i7 NanoPAK small form factor computer, the newest member of the Themis Tactical Systems product family. The small, light footprint and powerful performance of the Intel Core i7 NanoPAK make it an ideal solution for rugged commercial and military field applications. The NanoPAK i7 computer integrates an Intel 3rd generation Core i7 (Ivy Bridge) processor with FLASH storage in a small, light footprint that optimizes size, weight, power, and cooling. NanoPAK i7 computers are complete, stand alone systems designed for unmanned vehicles, ground vehicles, man-wearable, shipboard, and other extreme environments, where space, weight, power, and cost (SWAP-C) are critical.

Dell has this week updated its Linux offering by releasing the new XPS 13 Developer Edition laptop running Ubuntu. Codenamed Sputnik 3, this new client-to-cloud solution comes with Ubuntu 12.04 LTS pre-installed and features a 13.3-inch (1920 x 1080) LED-backlit touch display, an Intel Haswell processor (Core i5-4200U or i7-4500U), 8 GB of RAM, Intel HD 4400 graphics, a 128/256 GB mSATA solid state drive, a spill-resistant backlit chiclet keyboard, an HD webcam, Bluetooth, 802.11ac WiFi, and a 55WHr battery.

The XPS 13 Developer Edition is currently only available in the US (starting at $1,249) but will expand its reach quickly - next week it will go on sale in Canada, and by the end of the month it will also be found in 9 European countries.

QNAP Systems, Inc. today officially launched five business-class, SAS-enabled Turbo NAS models, including TS-EC1679U-SAS-RP and TS-EC1279U-SAS-RP which support both SAS and SATA 6Gbps hard drives, and the 2.5" high-density SS-EC2479U-SAS-RP, SS-EC1879U-SAS-RP and SS-EC1279U-SAS-RP. The support of SAS hard drives increases disk input/output performance and offers high reliability for data transmission and storage. The new models offer storage expansion port(s) allowing seamless capacity expansion with QNAP RAID expansion enclosures to easily fulfill mission-critical storage needs of small and medium businesses, with persistent throughput to balance resource-demanding applications.

The new SAS-enabled models are equipped with a Quad-Core Intel Xeon 3.4GHz processor with 8GB DDR3 ECC RAM, feature 10GbE-ready network connectivity, and support SSD caching to greatly boost IOPS performance, perfect for improving overall workflow of IOPS-demanding applications such as virtualization and data center deployment. "The new SAS-enabled Turbo NAS models support enterprise-level SAS hard drives that will greatly satisfy performance-demanding businesses," said David Tsao, product manager of QNAP. "The new models also support lower cost high-capacity SATA hard drives for large data archiving and high-speed, high stability SSDs for I/O-intensive operations. With the new SAS-enabled Turbo NAS, businesses can enjoy great flexibility in hard drive selection."